Damien: You promised to be careful.
Leigh: I have been…
Damien: Jenny caught you in my father’s office?
Leigh: Oh. That…
Damien: This is over. It’s too dangerous. You need to leave.
Leigh: Your father is going to be out of town this weekend. I can’t get caught if he isn’t home. I really don’t think your sister cares what I do.
Damien: Can I see you tonight?
Leigh: I hope so. I’m already at the villa…
Damien: I’m on my way.
My thoughts were all over the places as I drove to the villa so I could meet up with Leigh. I wasn’t happy she got caught by my sister, and that both of them almost got busted by my father. Jenny could have probably played it off—but that would have been a lot harder for Leigh. She wasn’t used to having her words twisted around and used against her. As amazing as Leigh was, my father was a manipulative bastard that knew how to get the truth out of people, and he didn’t care how much he hurt someone in the process.
My first real introduction to my father’s cruelty came when I was five years old. Several of his business associates had kids on the Carson Cove T-Ball team, and he wanted me to be his shining star to prove he was a better father than them. When I told him I wasn’t interested in playing, he left me on the side of the road several miles from home and told me that I could walk back to Sinn Manor.
By some miracle, I made it home, and when I defiantly told him I still wasn’t interested in playing. He pretended to accept it—then he left me on the side of the road even further from home the next day. I learned my lesson after that. A few days later, I was suited up and on the field—because I was scared of what would happen if I defied him again. That still wasn’t good enough for him. Every time I made a mistake, he berated me for hours—I would have actually preferred to have been left on the side of the road than endure that kind of emotional abuse.
Jenny’s introduction was even crueler. She was playing in the living room one afternoon and accidentally unplugged his cigar humidor. It was a mistake—she was too young to know better. It was a couple of days before my father noticed, but when he realized his prized possessions had been ruined by her carelessness, he promised she would lose something she cared about as well. A few days later, the puppy she got for her birthday ran away while she was at school. There was never any proof that our father was responsible, but we both knew he was—and he twisted that knife in every chance he got for almost a year.
I don’t want Leigh to even get a glimpse of that cruelty.
Chapter Seventeen
Leigh
I was nervous when I got Damien’s text, but as soon as I saw him, the nervousness faded away, and concern took over. It was clear he had been in a fight. He acted like it was no big deal, but it was a quick reminder that we were involved in something dangerous. I wasn’t taking my mission lightly, but if Edgar let his thugs hurt his son, then he was a lot more dangerous than I allowed myself to believe.
“Did you even get checked out by a doctor?” I pushed Damien’s hair to the side so I could get a closer look at the damage.
“No.” He scoffed. “I’m okay—really. It hurts, but it’s not serious.”
“I’d feel better if you at least had a doctor tell you that.” I leaned against his chest. “I guess I’m lucky that I don’t have a matching one—it really was foolish of me to snoop around when he could have walked in at any minute.”
“If he had laid a hand on you, your mother would be planning his funeral instead of packing for a weekend getaway,” Damien growled under his breath.
“I won’t even think about doing it again until they’re gone.” I sighed and shook my head. “I know you’re worried
about me.”
“More than you’ll ever realize…” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I need you to promise me that this weekend will be the end of it if you don’t find anything.”
“Damien…” I looked up at him and grimaced.
I didn’t want to admit defeat in advance, but I finally agreed that I would call off my mission if I wasn’t able to uncover anything while Edgar and my mother were away on their weekend getaway. I needed real evidence to drag my mother out of her fairy tale, and it was beginning to feel like a hopeless endeavor. Edgar wasn’t the type of person to make mistakes or leave clues out in the open. I wouldn’t have even had an inclination that something wasn’t right if I hadn’t overheard his phone call.
After I pacified Damien’s concern, he told me what happened to his mother. She was obviously taking things hard—and if she wasn’t around, then Damien’s plan for getting Jenny out of Sinn Manor had become as hopeless as mine. He wasn’t ready to give up, but I wasn’t sure what he would be able to do. I could see that reality reflected in his eyes as well. I made a promise to Damien, and I wasn’t going to break it. Admitting defeat wouldn’t be easy, but I was willing to accept it if I couldn’t find anything useful over the weekend.
It’s the last chance I’m going to have…
I spent most of the night with Damien and returned to Sinn Manor after everyone else had gone to bed. I was tempted to poke around in the darkness, but I remembered my promise—and almost getting caught. I resisted the urge and went to bed. I woke up the next morning to another screaming match between Edgar and Jenny. I didn’t get a chance to find out what it was about because she stormed out of the house before I could get close enough to eavesdrop. My mother was in her bedroom—packing for her weekend getaway and humming like World War III wasn’t going on downstairs.
“What was that all about?” I walked to the bedroom door.